Welcome Home Marines

This site belongs to the men of Hotel Company, 2nd Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment who landed as part of Battalion Landing Team 2/3 on 10 April 1965 in Vietnam. We crossed Beach Red 2, DaNang harbor then occupied defensive positions on Hills 278 and 312 in Quang Nam Provence. From our positions we overlooked Hoa Vinh District and the Village of Le My on the Song Cu De River.

On the morning of 10 April 1965 at 0823, the first of five waves touched down on RED Beach 2. By 1310, the landing was completed. A provisional task force under Lieutenant Colonel Clement, consisting of Companies F and G of the 2d Battalion, 3d Marines and support elements was helilifted to Phu Bai. At Da Nang, Company H took up positions on Hills 278 and 312 north of the high ground held by the 1st Battalion, 3d Marines. MACV staff officers who observed the amphibious landing at Da Nang and air movement to Phu Bai stated the landing “was accomplished smoothly and professionally, reflecting high standards of training, discipline, and esprit. Congratulations to all responsible.”

11 May 1965 – 2nd Battalion, 3rd Marines cleared the village of Le My, liberating it from over two years of Viet Cong control. The village became a model of the Marine Corps civic action program.

12 Aug 1965 – Operation Midnight. During the July-December period 1965, Marine aviators and ground commanders experimented with new helicopter tactics. One of the more innovative of these experiments occurred on the night of 12 August 1965. Lieutenant Colonel Lloyd F. Childers’ HMM-361 Squadron and Lieutenant Colonel Clement’s 2nd Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment conducted their experiment, “Operation Midnight”, in an area known as Elephant Valley, a narrow river plain between some of the steepest mountains in I Corps. The operation was the first night helicopter assault in the Marine Corps history